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# WoWee - World Of Warcraft Engine Experiment
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< img src = "assets/Wowee.png" alt = "Wowee Logo" width = "240" / >
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A native C++ World of Warcraft client with a custom Vulkan renderer.
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[](https://github.com/sponsors/Kelsidavis)
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[](https://discord.gg/SDqjA79B)
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[](https://youtu.be/Pd9JuYYxu0o)
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[](https://youtu.be/J4NXegzqWSQ)
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Protocol Compatible with **Vanilla (Classic) 1.12 + TBC 2.4.3 + WotLK 3.3.5a** .
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> **Legal Disclaimer**: This is an educational/research project. It does not include any Blizzard Entertainment assets, data files, or proprietary code. World of Warcraft and all related assets are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Blizzard Entertainment. Users are responsible for supplying their own legally obtained game data files and for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws in their jurisdiction.
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## Status & Direction (2026-02-18)
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- **Compatibility**: **Vanilla (Classic) 1.12 + TBC 2.4.3 + WotLK 3.3.5a** are all supported via expansion profiles and per-expansion packet parsers (`src/game/packet_parsers_classic.cpp` , `src/game/packet_parsers_tbc.cpp` ). All three expansions are roughly on par — no single one is significantly more complete than the others.
- **Tested against**: AzerothCore, TrinityCore, and Mangos.
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- **Current focus**: protocol correctness across server variants, visual accuracy (M2/WMO edge cases, equipment textures), and multi-expansion coverage.
- **Warden**: Full module execution via Unicorn Engine CPU emulation. Decrypts (RC4→RSA→zlib), parses and relocates the PE module, executes via x86 emulation with Windows API interception. Module cache at `~/.local/share/wowee/warden_cache/` .
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## Features
### Rendering Engine
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- **Terrain** -- Multi-tile streaming with async loading, texture splatting (4 layers), frustum culling
Implement WoW-accurate DBC-driven sky system with lore-faithful celestial bodies
Add SkySystem coordinator that follows WoW's actual architecture where skyboxes
are authoritative and procedural elements serve as fallbacks. Integrate lighting
system across all renderers (terrain, WMO, M2, character) with unified parameters.
Sky System:
- SkySystem coordinator manages skybox, celestial bodies, stars, clouds, lens flare
- Skybox is authoritative (baked stars from M2 models, procedural fallback only)
- skyboxHasStars flag gates procedural star rendering (prevents double-star bug)
Celestial Bodies (Lore-Accurate):
- Two moons: White Lady (30-day cycle, pale white) + Blue Child (27-day cycle, pale blue)
- Deterministic moon phases from server gameTime (not deltaTime toys)
- Sun positioning driven by LightingManager directionalDir (DBC-sourced)
- Camera-locked sky dome (translation ignored, rotation applied)
Lighting Integration:
- Apply LightingManager params to WMO, M2, character renderers
- Unified lighting: directional light, diffuse color, ambient color, fog
- Star occlusion by cloud density (70% weight) and fog density (30% weight)
Documentation:
- Add comprehensive SKY_SYSTEM.md technical guide
- Update MEMORY.md with sky system architecture and anti-patterns
- Update README.md with WoW-accurate descriptions
Critical design decisions:
- NO latitude-based star rotation (Azeroth not modeled as spherical planet)
- NO always-on procedural stars (skybox authority prevents zone identity loss)
- NO universal dual-moon setup (map-specific celestial configurations)
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- **Atmosphere** -- Procedural clouds (FBM noise), lens flare with chromatic aberration, cloud/fog star occlusion
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- **Characters** -- Skeletal animation with GPU vertex skinning (256 bones), race-aware textures
- **Buildings** -- WMO renderer with multi-material batches, frustum culling, 160-unit distance culling
- **Particles** -- M2 particle emitters with WotLK struct parsing, billboarded glow effects
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### Asset Pipeline
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- Extracted loose-file ** `Data/` ** tree indexed by ** `manifest.json` ** (fast lookup + caching)
- Optional **overlay layers** for multi-expansion asset deduplication
- `asset_extract` + `extract_assets.sh` for MPQ extraction (StormLib tooling)
- File formats: **BLP** (DXT1/3/5), **ADT** , **M2** , **WMO** , **DBC** (Spell/Item/Faction/etc.)
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### Gameplay Systems
- **Authentication** -- Full SRP6a implementation with RC4 header encryption
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- **Character System** -- Creation (with nonbinary gender option), selection, 3D preview, stats panel, race/class support
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- **Movement** -- WASD movement, camera orbit, spline path following
- **Combat** -- Auto-attack, spell casting with cooldowns, damage calculation, death handling
- **Targeting** -- Tab-cycling, click-to-target, faction-based hostility (using Faction.dbc)
- **Inventory** -- 23 equipment slots, 16 backpack slots, drag-drop, auto-equip
- **Spells** -- Spellbook with class specialty tabs, drag-drop to action bar, spell icons
- **Action Bar** -- 12 slots, drag-drop from spellbook/inventory, click-to-cast, keybindings
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- **Trainers** -- Spell trainer UI, buy spells, known/available/unavailable states
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- **Quests** -- Quest markers (! and ?) on NPCs and minimap, quest log, quest details, turn-in flow
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- **Vendors** -- Buy, sell, and buyback (most recent sold item), gold tracking, inventory sync
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- **Loot** -- Loot window, gold looting, item pickup
- **Gossip** -- NPC interaction, dialogue options
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- **Chat** -- Tabs/channels, emotes, chat bubbles, clickable URLs, clickable item links with tooltips
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- **Party** -- Group invites, party list
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- **Warden** -- Warden anti-cheat module execution via Unicorn Engine x86 emulation (cross-platform, no Wine)
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- **UI** -- Loading screens with progress bar, settings window, minimap with zoom/rotation/square mode, top-right minimap mute speaker, separate bag windows with compact-empty mode (aggregate view)
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## Building
### Prerequisites
```bash
# Ubuntu/Debian
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sudo apt install libsdl2-dev libglm-dev libssl-dev \
libvulkan-dev vulkan-tools glslc \
libavformat-dev libavcodec-dev libswscale-dev libavutil-dev \
zlib1g-dev cmake build-essential libx11-dev \
libunicorn-dev \ # optional: Warden module execution
libstorm-dev # optional: asset_extract tool
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# Fedora
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sudo dnf install SDL2-devel glm-devel openssl-devel \
vulkan-devel vulkan-tools glslc \
ffmpeg-devel zlib-devel cmake gcc-c++ libX11-devel \
unicorn-devel \ # optional: Warden module execution
StormLib-devel # optional: asset_extract tool
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# Arch
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sudo pacman -S sdl2 glm openssl \
vulkan-devel vulkan-tools shaderc \
ffmpeg zlib cmake base-devel libx11 \
unicorn # optional: Warden module execution
# StormLib: install from AUR for asset_extract tool
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```
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### Container build
You can use podman to build application in separate container.
- Install podman
- Then run `container/build-in-container.sh`
- Artifacts can be found in `/tmp/wowee.[random value].[commit hash]`
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### Game Data
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This project requires WoW client data that you extract from your own legally obtained install.
Wowee loads assets via an extracted loose-file tree indexed by `manifest.json` (it does not read MPQs at runtime).
#### 1) Extract MPQs into `./Data/`
```bash
# WotLK 3.3.5a example
./extract_assets.sh /path/to/WoW/Data wotlk
```
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```
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Data/
manifest.json
interface/
sound/
world/
expansions/
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```
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Notes:
- `StormLib` is required to build/run the extractor (`asset_extract` ), but the main client does not require StormLib at runtime.
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- `extract_assets.sh` supports `classic` , `tbc` , `wotlk` targets.
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#### 2) Point wowee at the extracted data
By default, wowee looks for `./Data/` . You can override with:
```bash
export WOW_DATA_PATH=/path/to/extracted/Data
```
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### Compile & Run
```bash
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git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/Kelsidavis/WoWee.git
cd WoWee
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mkdir build & & cd build
cmake ..
make -j$(nproc)
./bin/wowee
```
## Controls
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### Camera & Movement
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| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
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| WASD | Move camera / character |
| Mouse | Look around / orbit camera |
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| Shift | Move faster |
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| Mouse Left Click | Target entity / interact |
| Tab | Cycle targets |
### UI & Windows
| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
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| B | Toggle bags |
| C | Toggle character |
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| P | Toggle spellbook |
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| N | Toggle talents |
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| L | Toggle quest log |
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| M | Toggle world map |
| O | Toggle guild roster |
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| Enter | Open chat |
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| / | Open chat with slash |
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| Escape | Close windows / deselect |
### Action Bar
| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| 1-9, 0, -, = | Use action bar slots 1-12 |
| Drag & Drop | Spells from spellbook, items from inventory |
| Click | Cast spell / use item |
### Debug & Development
| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
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| F1 | Performance HUD |
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| F4 | Toggle shadows |
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## Documentation
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### Getting Started
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- [Project Status ](docs/status.md ) -- Current code state, limitations, and near-term direction
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- [Quick Start ](docs/quickstart.md ) -- Installation and first steps
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- [Build Instructions ](BUILD_INSTRUCTIONS.md ) -- Detailed dependency, build, and run guide
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### Technical Documentation
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- [Architecture ](docs/architecture.md ) -- System design and module overview
- [Authentication ](docs/authentication.md ) -- SRP6 auth protocol details
- [Server Setup ](docs/server-setup.md ) -- Local server configuration
Implement WoW-accurate DBC-driven sky system with lore-faithful celestial bodies
Add SkySystem coordinator that follows WoW's actual architecture where skyboxes
are authoritative and procedural elements serve as fallbacks. Integrate lighting
system across all renderers (terrain, WMO, M2, character) with unified parameters.
Sky System:
- SkySystem coordinator manages skybox, celestial bodies, stars, clouds, lens flare
- Skybox is authoritative (baked stars from M2 models, procedural fallback only)
- skyboxHasStars flag gates procedural star rendering (prevents double-star bug)
Celestial Bodies (Lore-Accurate):
- Two moons: White Lady (30-day cycle, pale white) + Blue Child (27-day cycle, pale blue)
- Deterministic moon phases from server gameTime (not deltaTime toys)
- Sun positioning driven by LightingManager directionalDir (DBC-sourced)
- Camera-locked sky dome (translation ignored, rotation applied)
Lighting Integration:
- Apply LightingManager params to WMO, M2, character renderers
- Unified lighting: directional light, diffuse color, ambient color, fog
- Star occlusion by cloud density (70% weight) and fog density (30% weight)
Documentation:
- Add comprehensive SKY_SYSTEM.md technical guide
- Update MEMORY.md with sky system architecture and anti-patterns
- Update README.md with WoW-accurate descriptions
Critical design decisions:
- NO latitude-based star rotation (Azeroth not modeled as spherical planet)
- NO always-on procedural stars (skybox authority prevents zone identity loss)
- NO universal dual-moon setup (map-specific celestial configurations)
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- [Sky System ](docs/SKY_SYSTEM.md ) -- Celestial bodies, Azeroth astronomy, and WoW-accurate sky rendering
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- [SRP Implementation ](docs/srp-implementation.md ) -- Cryptographic details
- [Packet Framing ](docs/packet-framing.md ) -- Network protocol framing
- [Realm List ](docs/realm-list.md ) -- Realm selection system
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- [Warden Quick Reference ](docs/WARDEN_QUICK_REFERENCE.md ) -- Warden module execution overview and testing
- [Warden Implementation ](docs/WARDEN_IMPLEMENTATION.md ) -- Technical details of the implementation
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## Security
- GitHub Actions runs a dedicated security workflow at `.github/workflows/security.yml` .
- Current checks include:
- `CodeQL` for C/C++
- `Semgrep` static analysis
- Sanitizer build (`ASan` + `UBSan` )
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## Technical Details
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- **Platform**: Linux (primary), C++20, CMake 3.15+
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- **Dependencies**: SDL2, Vulkan, GLM, OpenSSL, ImGui, FFmpeg, Unicorn Engine (StormLib for asset extraction tooling)
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- **Architecture**: Modular design with clear separation (core, rendering, networking, game logic, asset pipeline, UI, audio)
- **Networking**: Non-blocking TCP, SRP6a authentication, RC4 encryption, WoW 3.3.5a protocol
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- **Asset Loading**: Extracted loose-file tree + `manifest.json` indexing, async terrain streaming, overlay layers
Implement WoW-accurate DBC-driven sky system with lore-faithful celestial bodies
Add SkySystem coordinator that follows WoW's actual architecture where skyboxes
are authoritative and procedural elements serve as fallbacks. Integrate lighting
system across all renderers (terrain, WMO, M2, character) with unified parameters.
Sky System:
- SkySystem coordinator manages skybox, celestial bodies, stars, clouds, lens flare
- Skybox is authoritative (baked stars from M2 models, procedural fallback only)
- skyboxHasStars flag gates procedural star rendering (prevents double-star bug)
Celestial Bodies (Lore-Accurate):
- Two moons: White Lady (30-day cycle, pale white) + Blue Child (27-day cycle, pale blue)
- Deterministic moon phases from server gameTime (not deltaTime toys)
- Sun positioning driven by LightingManager directionalDir (DBC-sourced)
- Camera-locked sky dome (translation ignored, rotation applied)
Lighting Integration:
- Apply LightingManager params to WMO, M2, character renderers
- Unified lighting: directional light, diffuse color, ambient color, fog
- Star occlusion by cloud density (70% weight) and fog density (30% weight)
Documentation:
- Add comprehensive SKY_SYSTEM.md technical guide
- Update MEMORY.md with sky system architecture and anti-patterns
- Update README.md with WoW-accurate descriptions
Critical design decisions:
- NO latitude-based star rotation (Azeroth not modeled as spherical planet)
- NO always-on procedural stars (skybox authority prevents zone identity loss)
- NO universal dual-moon setup (map-specific celestial configurations)
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- **Sky System**: WoW-accurate DBC-driven architecture
- **Lore-Accurate Moons**: White Lady (30-day cycle) + Blue Child (27-day cycle)
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- **Deterministic Phases**: Computed from server game time when available (fallback: local time/dev cycling)
Implement WoW-accurate DBC-driven sky system with lore-faithful celestial bodies
Add SkySystem coordinator that follows WoW's actual architecture where skyboxes
are authoritative and procedural elements serve as fallbacks. Integrate lighting
system across all renderers (terrain, WMO, M2, character) with unified parameters.
Sky System:
- SkySystem coordinator manages skybox, celestial bodies, stars, clouds, lens flare
- Skybox is authoritative (baked stars from M2 models, procedural fallback only)
- skyboxHasStars flag gates procedural star rendering (prevents double-star bug)
Celestial Bodies (Lore-Accurate):
- Two moons: White Lady (30-day cycle, pale white) + Blue Child (27-day cycle, pale blue)
- Deterministic moon phases from server gameTime (not deltaTime toys)
- Sun positioning driven by LightingManager directionalDir (DBC-sourced)
- Camera-locked sky dome (translation ignored, rotation applied)
Lighting Integration:
- Apply LightingManager params to WMO, M2, character renderers
- Unified lighting: directional light, diffuse color, ambient color, fog
- Star occlusion by cloud density (70% weight) and fog density (30% weight)
Documentation:
- Add comprehensive SKY_SYSTEM.md technical guide
- Update MEMORY.md with sky system architecture and anti-patterns
- Update README.md with WoW-accurate descriptions
Critical design decisions:
- NO latitude-based star rotation (Azeroth not modeled as spherical planet)
- NO always-on procedural stars (skybox authority prevents zone identity loss)
- NO universal dual-moon setup (map-specific celestial configurations)
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- **Camera-Locked**: Sky dome uses rotation-only transform (translation ignored)
- **No Latitude Math**: Per-zone artistic constants, not Earth-like planetary simulation
- **Zone Identity**: Different skyboxes per continent (Azeroth, Outland, Northrend)
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## License
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This project's source code is licensed under the [MIT License ](LICENSE ).
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This project does not include any Blizzard Entertainment proprietary data, assets, or code. World of Warcraft is (c) 2004-2024 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.
## References
- [WoWDev Wiki ](https://wowdev.wiki/ ) -- File format documentation
- [TrinityCore ](https://github.com/TrinityCore/TrinityCore ) -- Server reference
- [MaNGOS ](https://github.com/cmangos/mangos-wotlk ) -- Server reference
- [StormLib ](https://github.com/ladislav-zezula/StormLib ) -- MPQ library
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## Known Issues
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MANY issues this is actively under development